For No One Else
by shadowoftherose
Summary: Kagome is kidnapped by a strange spiderdemon that harvests souls, and her life hangs on edge. To make matters worse, Kikyo was taken too. In the end, in that crucial moment, Inuyasha must make a choice: Kikyo or Kagome?
1. Chapter 1: Arguments

**For No One Else**

_Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine_

Chapter One: Arguments

"Sit boy!"

The loud thump that soon followed after the command was inevitable, of course. An angry Kagome was storming off, stomping the entire way. She wanted out of these woods at the moment, she didn't want to look at Inuyasha. You could almost see steam streaming from her ears, and she swiftly made her way to the Bone-Eater's Well- she wanted to go home.

_Hmph! He's never considerate of my feelings! I can't believe I spent an entire two hours making and preparing that lunch…_ her thoughts paused, and she turned her head back towards where she was speeding off from, gazing back thoughtfully, but the calm soon passed again. _He asks me where the ramen was instead…_

Sighing as she continued on, she then noticed that she wasn't going to the Well. Not surprisingly, she had wandered to the Go-Shimboku Tree; after all, it always seemed to calm her after moments like these. The aura around the sacred tree was rather different from anywhere else.

Once the miko had made her way there, she glanced up to the tall Tree of Ages, her mind pondering about. This was the very place where she had first found Inuyasha, where he had been struck down and killed by Kikyo, as she had thought he had betrayed her. Of course, they knew now that it actually had been Naraku that had pulled the strings. This was where her journey had begun.

Frowning, she turned her back to the tree and slowly slid down the somewhat smooth trunk of the massive tree, closing her brown eyes as she did so. Her mind was restless, but she could give her body a break. Why was Inuyasha always a jerk? A faint voice at the back of her mind reminded her that she tended to overreact, but Kagome shoved that thought aside. Opening her eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared straight ahead. Should she apologize to Inuyasha, then?

However, unawares to the priestess below, a blur of red and silver had flashed through the branches above, the branches rustling softly, awakened from their slow slumber. The deep golden eyes that belonged to the blur watched the young girl carefully, his nose recognizing immediately the dreaded smell of salty water: Kagome's tears. His heart went out to her, but really, must she make a big fuss out of everything he did? He dropped down from what seemed the sky above, startling Kagome as he did so.

"Inuyasha! Don't do that!" she exclaimed, scrambling to stand up.

"Feh, I didn't _do_ anything, wench," the hanyou growled, taking no time to already upset her.

Kagome seemed like she was ready to snap at him, but she was able to control herself. It wouldn't be smart to further this argument anyways; and, maybe, Inuyasha was here to apologize to her. Stepping back a bit, she absently sought out a root from the giant tree and sat down on it, her lips muttering nothing, only a sigh escaping from them. Would the boy ever realize? Why didn't he see what to her was so painfully obvious?

At the sight of her like this, the half-demon's eyes softened, and he knelt down by Kagome, and he muttered softly, "You okay, Kagome?"

At his sudden near presence, she looked up to him, and she quickly gave a sharp nod, "Yeah, just thinking…" she paused, unsure of what to say next. At parting her lips, however, one of the infamous soul collectors of Kikyo's had flown above the pair.

Inuyasha got to his feet in a flash, his amber eyes flashing, following the familiar-looking demons. Kikyo! Momentarily forgetting that Kagome was there, he walked a few steps forward, as if he was to follow them, but soon caught himself and stopped. He would hurt her, if he left to see the dead priestess, it would really hurt her… it always did…

Unfortunately, the young miko did not really register that Inuyasha had not run blindly to see the other woman. All Kagome's mind could see was him desperate for Kikyo's presence, itching to leave her side for Kikyo's. Her eyes began to flood with tears, her vision blurring with the thin film. Blinking her eyes to clear the tears and to adjust her vision, she finally noticed that Inuyasha was still there, staring where the soul collectors had drifted.

At first she couldn't understand, couldn't understand why in heaven's name would Inuyasha still be doing here. Next thing, also to her own surprise, she exploded out to him, speaking between tears, "What are you still doing here! Go to _her_! I'm nothing compared to her, so don't try to 'spare' my feelings like this…" she stood up, her voice cracking and her body trembling.

"No…no! Kagome! You don't understand, let me explai-"

"Yes I do! Perfectly clear! I am nothing but a shard detector to you, nothing but a burden that you keep having to watch out for!"

"LISTEN! Please let me-" he attempted to say, but was once more interrupted by the distraught girl.

"NO! Leave me alone! Just stop tearing me apart and just say what your choice is! Tell me that it's Kikyo!"

"No-!"

"Leave me ALONE!" she wept, the tears rolling harshly down her fair face, leaving red marks behind. She began to sprint towards the well, running past the hanyou and not looking back. She heard him begin to run towards him, so she twirled around and screamed at him, "Sit, sit, SIT!"

* * *

Miroku, Sango and Shippou quickly arrived at the Bone Eater's Well, not long after the fox demon child had spotted Inuyasha red clad body by the well. He told them that he looked awfully upset, and so had hurried to mention this to the demon slayer and the monk. 

Once the three stepped before him, Miroku began to speak, "Where has Kagome gone?" he asked Inuyasha, peering at the old well before he let his wandering eyes rest on the angry looking half-demon.

"She went home for one of her 'tests,'" Inuyasha answered, still stubbornly sitting cross-legged next to the well, his arms crossed in a cocky expression now. Looking from Sango's face to Shippou's, he looked back to Miroku again. The monk wasn't stupid… but he could try.

Sango frowned, her eyebrows lifting before glancing absently to the well, then she cocked her head towards Inuyasha, "Really? We were going to go to the hot springs for a bath today, and I could've sworn she never mentioned having a reason to go home today, much less a test…" she cast the hanyou a suspicious look.

Shippou bounced onto Inuyasha's shoulder, staring intensely at the silver-haired demon before he loudly declared, "I bet he made Kagome upset again, and she went back to her time!"

"Shaddup!" was the immediate response from the half-demon, throwing down the little kitsune to the ground.

The monk sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Couldn't Inuyasha ever control that mouth of his? No doubt he said something upsetting to Kagome, "What did you do this time?"

"I didn't do anything! I told you: she went back for her 'homework'!"

"I thought it was a test?…" Sango questioned innocently.

Inuyasha growled at them, looking more then quite ready to pound on one of them. What business of theirs was it to butt in like that? However, untrue to his nature, he stood up and simply jumped away to the woods, leaving the trio alone to ponder in their thoughts about this current problem.

* * *

Kagome still had not left the well house, somewhat unaware of the time passing by. Her eyes were intensely watching the Shikon no Tama pieces that were in her hand. So much trouble for such a small thing… The priestess' mind wandered to Inuyasha, and she was in no doubt that he was locked in a passionate kiss with Kikyo by now. Her thoughts hammered at her, her mind at unease. Why was he so blind? He could, at least, tell her that he chose Kikyo. 

_How could I ever compete with Kikyo? She _died_ for him…_

She stayed here for a bit longer, not even going to the shrine, to her house, but rather choosing to remain here to think things over about the whole mess. After what to her felt like eons, she stood up and carefully looked down into the well. Why had Inuyasha hesitated about visiting Kikyo? Maybe… just maybe, she had judged wrongly of him. With that flicker of hope, she jumped into the well, and the blue cosmic enveloped her, transferring her to feudal Japan.

* * *

Inuyasha's ears perked, and he cocked his head. The faint wisp of Kagome had reached his nose, informing him that she had come back. An unsure expression crossed his mind; she was back much earlier then he expected, didn't even have to come back to get her. Still slightly annoyed he jumped from the tree branches and raced to the well. 

To his confusion, Kagome was not there, as he had expected. Where did she go? It was seconds ago that he had caught her smell, and rushed here. He should have caught her before she left the well area. She wasn't really that fast. Glancing around slowly, he suddenly realized something else.

A demonic aura.

Kagome! The silver-haired hanyou tried to keep himself calm; it was entirely possible that the wind had been blowing the wrong direction, and caught her scent much later then she had arrived, and he had simply missed her. In fact, he could almost be sure that she would be waiting with the others for sure.

His heart pounding, he sped towards where he last knew where the others were camped. He kept telling himself that she was there, that she was there, that she was there… Upon seeing them, his panic rose: where was she? She was not there. Stepping in front of them, as a last hope, he asked them furiously, "Where's Kagome?"

The trio looked to themselves, and it was Shippou who answered, though there was a tint of uncertainty under his voice, "Stupid! You said it yourself that she had left; you chased her away!"

The demon slayer was the first to notice Inuyasha's expression first, and she reached for her Hiraikotsu, grasping the giant boomerang's sling tightly as she stood up, swinging it to her back. Speaking carefully, as if she was afraid something would be break, she questioned him, "Was there anything else?"

Inuyasha seemed almost embarrassed to say it, but it was more in fear as if speaking it would make it truer, he growled to them, "A demon."

TO BE CONTIUNED


	2. Chapter 2: Everyone gone

Chapter Two: Everyone

Kikyo stared blankly at the lagoon, her eyes empty of much emotion. The soul collectors that belonged to her dove in front of her, and they deposited the stolen souls of the dead that they had collected. She couldn't, after all, live without these stolen souls of the dead.

The dead priestess' mind wallowed about, her thoughts really only focused on one thing at the moment: Inuyasha.

Where was the hanyou? She knew that once the half-demon saw one of her collectors, he would come running to her; he was pathetic in that way. So, once a healthy bit of time had passed, she had been quite startled to realize that Inuyasha would not be coming today.

Her expressionless face never unfroze, her brown eyes still glazed over the water's gentle surface. It must have been her reincarnation's fault, she decided, why else would he not come? Usually the younger girl did not interfere much, but she must've this time.

Pausing her thoughts, she slowly turned her head around. She could feel the presence of a demon… someone was watching her. Once fully facing the woods that edged the waters, she noticed the parting of the canopy of the trees above, and a somewhat large spider demon was hanging from one of its threads, staring at her with eight darkly flickering eyes.

"And what do we have here. Hmm? A priestess… oh yes, another priestess soul. How very nice, yes, yes…"

* * *

Kagome opened her eyes, but soon closed them, seeing that everything seemed blurry and was giving her a slight headache already. Okay… she had to survey the scene she was in, try to figure out what to do next. Opening her eyes slowly, her eyes adjusted and were able to clear her vision. She couldn't recognize anything familiar, so she figured she must've have been taken quite a bit far from where she had started. 

Everything seemed sort of dark, and it seemed like the air wasn't clear. Squinting her eyes, she then saw that not too far from her, there was some sort of translucent cocoon, with Kikyo inside. Startled, she attempted to move, but only realized now that she was immobilized. What? Finally, she also noticed that she, too, was in a cocoon similar to one like Kikyo's.

She began to struggle, trying anything she could to give her a bit of leeway to move. Nothing worked. Frustrated, she moved her eyes to look back to Kikyo, and she opened her lips as much as she could, calling sharply to the other woman, "Kikyo!_ Kikyo!_"

No reaction from the other cocoon- it seemed that Kikyo had been knocked out for the time being. Kagome frowned slightly, then glanced around again, to see if she could do something somehow. There was nothing around, just a heavily vegetated part of the forest, it didn't seem like it would be easy to walk here. Then, out of what seemed to be thin air, a spider had swung down in front of her.

"Eeep!" she yelped, instinctively trying to move back, but paralyzed where she was, so she stared at the ugly thing straight on. It was black, with red marks randomly here and there, with huge purple-looking fangs, no doubt poisonous. Her eyes hardened, she said roughly, "Let me go!"

"Let you go? Ah, don't be silly, little priestess. No one here to save you, oh no, no. Your soul is mine. Two priestesses' souls… that'll give me quite a bit of strength, don't you think, little girl?"

Not answering at first, she wondered if the spider would actually gain as much he thought he would, Kikyo's soul, after all, was hers, was it not? She only had a little bit, enough to keep the body alive, and she had to steal more souls so she could actually move and function. Her thoughts moved onto a different train of thought, "NO! Inuyasha will come! INUYASHA!"

The spider-demon made a sort of chuckling sound, and clamped together its pincer-like fangs a couple times before it responded, "The little half doggy demon? Poor, poor little priestess, she thinks that the half doggy will defeat the spider! Poor, poor little priestess…"

It's words made her flush; must they always bring up the fact that he was a half-demon? What did it matter? He was just a strong as any demon, and stronger, with the human heart he had. You would've thought the demons would've figured this out, considering he's defeated everyone that's faced him head on except Naraku and his brother Sesshormaru. This spider would be no different, it too would die, "He's stronger then any demon!"

"Tsk, tsk, it's almost sad how the little priestess thinks she's going to be saved. Poor little Kagome."

Her name coming from the spider's voice startled her: how did it know her name? She hadn't muttered anytime. Almost reading her mind, the demon chuckled.

"Confused and bemused, little Kagome? That's because the spider has already begun to harvest your soul… and so secrets tend to slip out. The spider knows your little attachment to the half doggy, your hatred for the doggie's attachment to the dead priestess."

Kagome did not answer, as she did not know what to say. All she could think of was Inuyasha.

"Oops! The spider has to leave the little priestess. New prey has just stepped into the spider's web. Bye-bye, little Kagome!"

* * *

Inuyasha was desperate in his search for Kagome, since he couldn't locate her scent anywhere- where did it go? Sometimes he would catch a wisp, and he'd sprint in that direction, but then it would disappear again. Whatever took her was dead, that was for sure. That was, if he could find it. 

The angry half-demon stopped suddenly, and looked back to where they should be, on Kirara. His eyes' eyebrows rose, unsure of what had happened to them. Now where did _they _go? Grumbling that they couldn't even keep up with him, he turned forwards and continued on looking for Kagome. He couldn't waste any time waiting for the others.

* * *

Sango pulled at her wrists, trying to free herself. How did they get stuck here? Kirara had been following after Inuyasha, but then she had gotten stuck in something, so they had jumped off to see what happened, only to be entrapped themselves, each not too far from the other. If only she could somehow reach her blade, she could free herself from what seemed like a web. 

The monk didn't have much luck either, and there was no way he would even try his Wind Tunnel. The actual enemy wasn't in sight, and there was the risk that he would suck in the others. Not that he could free the Tunnel anyways, stuck like this. Glancing sideways, he saw Sango struggling to free herself, and Shippou not far from her. Kirara seemed to be out of sight.

Shippou seemed to be unconscious, Miroku noticed, so he turned back to face Sango. Only he and her had a chance to free themselves, with Sango's odds higher. He saw that she was trying to reach for something, no doubt a knife or something of the sort. There wasn't anyway to help her, so he looked around, to see if he could free himself. His staff? Unfortunately, he could see it down on the ground.

He rationally realized that there wasn't much they could do, only wait till the spider-demon that wound this came back, and fight it then, or, for some strange reason, Inuyasha came back for them and helped. He doubted this, for he knew that Inuyasha was near hysterical about Kagome's disappearance.

"Lookie here, some new prey…" a low voice taunted, and the black spider hung down from the canopy above, and hissed at them, drawing itself lower, "Good day for the spider. Usually never have this many strong souls, nope. Two priestesses, a monk, and a slayer? Good, good day."

Two priestesses? Sango realized that it must be this demon that had captured Kagome. Glancing to Miroku, he too had come to the same conclusion. She readied herself, noticing that the spider was coming closer to her. If even for a moment, if it released her to shroud her in a cocoon, it would be her chance to attack.

Climbing onto the invisible web, it crawled over to Sango; its two front legs grabbed her and hoisted her slightly. Sango took her chance: she flipped out a blade and stabbed the spider, leaving it to screech in the unpredicted attack. It shot a stream of silky threads, and it soon enveloped the demon slayer, leaving her to struggle within the cocoon. It turned to Miroku and did the same, without touching him though. It would not make the same mistake twice.

The web now disturbed, Shippou awoke and saw that both humans had been trapped. His eyes widened, and did not know what to do. He watched motionless as he saw the spider grab both cocoons with its legs, and begin to disappear into the bushy branches above, so he jumped. He grabbed onto the back of one of the cocoons, making sure that he was out of the spider's vision range. He could only hope Inuyasha would find them soon.

* * *

The silver-haired half demon continued to sprint, his breathing sharp. Finally, in a clue to find Kagome, he could smell the presence of a demon. It was here. Stopping, he looked around carefully, trying to pinpoint the direction of the demon. It was unnecessary, however, for it dropped down to him, chuckling as it did so. 

"Aw, here's the little doggy. Looking for the little priestess? Or maybe the monk and the slayer? Or maybe even the dead priestess?"

His hand immediately sought out the hilt to his Tetsusaiga, and pulled out the fang, threatening the spider. A scowl on his face, he growled at the demon, "Where are they!" he readjusted the position of the sword, "Unless you want to die right now."

"That's not very nice. Maybe the little doggy wants to now what's happening to them right now?" it paused, but Inuyasha did not interrupt, "Their souls are being harvested… but they've all been placed in different areas. Oh no! How will the little doggy save them all? Their souls are rapidly being devoured… not enough time. By sunrise tomorrow, the last one will be dead."

Chuckling cruelly, it rose into the depths of the trees before Inuyasha could respond, and it soon had disappeared. Inuyasha did not move for a moment. They were all captured? Damn it! He should have made sure to stay with Miroku and the others. Kikyo too?…

He had no idea where to start, and he looked to where the sun was. High point of the day, night was far off, and the morning even further; however, was it enough time? Could he find them all? Snarling, he shot off into the trees, vowing that he'd find them all.

TO BE CONTIUNED


	3. Chapter 3: One down

Chapter Three: One down

Miroku glanced about, unsure of where he was. It seemed unnaturally calm; there were no birds singing, no insects buzzing and no animals rustling in the bushes. Just where was he? There seemed to be a blank space in his memory, remembering nothing. Last thing that came to mind was that he was in the village, with the others.

The others. Where was Sango? Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippou, where were they too? His grip on his staff tightened, and he narrowed his eyes, carefully surveying around him. What had happened? Why was he alone, why couldn't he remember anything? The same questions bombarded his mind, striking with each step that he took on the grassy ground. He had to find them- that was for sure.

Frowning, he slowed down his pace till he stopped. Something was wrong, he could sense it. Quickly looking down to his covered right hand, he pondered about the Wind Tunnel. His hand… it felt strange, could it be that the hole of his hand had grown larger? Was his time rapidly approaching him? Miroku shook his head, in attempt to shake off such morbid thoughts. No, not until he found out what was going on.

A twig snapped.

Twirling around on his heels, he unwrapped his Wind Tunnel, only holding the rosary beads that kept it from being released. Blinking his eyes, he saw the similar, but battered, form of Shippou. Wrapping the beads around his hand again, he ran towards the small kitsune.

"Shippou!" he knelt down as he called him, "Can you hear me? What happened?"

"M-miroku…" the fox child whimpered, and he backed from him, his body trembling in fear, "How could you do it? Why? I thought we were your friends…"

"What?" that was all the monk could say, startled by the young demon's words.

"You killed them all. Kagome, Sango, Inuyasha… sucked them into your Wind Tunnel. Just like you will do with me now…" Shippou murmured, tears forming at his eyes.

"No! I would never do that! Shippou, what's going on!" he cried, scrambling to his feet in a flash. He stared at his hand, unsure of what to think. Was the young fox demon telling the truth? Why would he lie? Could he have been possessed and actually had done it?

The monk didn't have much time to think any further, for then his hand began to shake, and dark light seemed to erupt from it. His eyes widening, and stepping back away from the fallen fox, he stared at it. The beads of his rosary were sucked in, and then he pulled his hand away from his eyes.

His hand seemed to still be glowing with the dark light, the wind near him beginning to pick up… no, not the wind near him, but the wind coming from him. In a flash, his hand was gone, only the dark void of the Wind Tunnel visible at the end of his arm. He would die now, along with his friends, trapped in the void forever. It rose up his arm, at his shoulder now, and he could feel his face being sucked in now. He muttered a prayer, hoping where he and his friends end up, they would find peace…

"MIROKU!"

He found his face being slapped harshly, and his puzzled mind tried to figure this out. Where was he? He didn't feel very dead at all. Opening his eyes, the blurry vision of a certain silver-haired half demon had filled his view, his golden eyes narrowed in both annoyance and in a relieved sort of expression. Miroku's mind seemed to be working in slow motion, he still couldn't understand: hadn't he and Inuyasha both died?

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah. You alright?" Inuyasha's unmistakable rough tone shook him out of his daze, and the half-demon stood upright, but still staring down at Miroku.

"I think I am. Whatever happened?" the monk questioned, beginning to stand up, though finding his legs shaky, still unsure of what had occurred. Inuyasha threw something at him, and realized as he looked at it in his hands that it was his staff. Using it at first for support, his legs gained strength, and he stared intensely at the hanyou.

"The spider-demon had cocooned you, and hung you up there," Inuyasha motioned above, where there was the remnants of the translucent cocoon that had been torn apart by the half demon. He had found the monk there, and when he first saw him, Inuyasha had thought he was too late- Miroku certainly looked dead. There was some sort of vein looking threads that were burrowed into his skin, sucking what he assumed was the monk's soul.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," he said softly in gratitude, but still shaken by the illusion that had been cast. The memory of the attack of the spider that happened not long ago returned. His mind focused on Sango and the others, "Where are the others?"

"I haven't found them yet; we have to hurry though, we only have till morning."

Inuyasha had already begun to turn to search, but Miroku stopped him.

"Wouldn't it be smarter if we split up?"

"Just to get you trapped again? No, we can't risk losing time," he growled at the monk.

Miroku shrugged, but he silently agreed with him. Normally, he might've argued against it, but it was a risk they couldn't take. The hanyou set off, and Miroku ran after him, his staff clutched tightly in his hand, and his other hand already somewhat released from its beads. He could set the Wind Tunnel loose in milliseconds.

* * *

Time was passing quickly, and both men were panting from their search, finding no clues as to where the women and Shippou could be. Glancing upwards to the sky, the sun was setting and the dark would set in soon. They didn't have that much time left, to find four others. The odds of them saving everywhere were shrinking down fast. 

Inuyasha skidded to a stop, and sniffed at the air, and he seemed to walk almost in a circle. Miroku watched him carefully, seeing if maybe Inuyasha had found them some sort of hint to where the others were. The half demon growled, and he reached for the hilt of his Tetsusaiga, pulling out the great sword. He jumped backwards closer to Miroku, and he lowly said to him:

"The spider's here."

Miroku watched around them carefully, till finally he saw the rustle of the leaves, with a shiny black spider's leg poking through. He got him. Opening his palm, he meant to point the right hand at the spider, but suddenly, a thread had wrapped around his wrist, tying the beads next to his palm, he glanced quickly to Inuyasha.

The half demon wasn't faring too well, his sword had been pulled from his grasp, and like Miroku, was rapidly being pulled against a trunk, the almost see-through web threads wrapping around them, immobilizing them against the two trees. Inuyasha snarled, pulling at his body in attempt to free himself. His ears perked, hearing the spider's cackling not too far from them.

"Hoo, hoo! How ever are we going to save the little slayer and priestesses if we're trapped? Oh, no! How very bad! The spider knows that very soon it will have a delicious feed… poor little doggy, poor little monk," its voice echoed sharply through the woods, as its form disappeared into the darkness.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled in desperation, his heart beating painfully against his chest. He just had to find her! And Kikyo? He would not lose either of them! The image of Kagome's face looking dead was enough for Inuyasha to find extra strength, and he tore himself from the web's grasp, nearly howling. He turned towards Miroku and he bared his nails, crying out, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"

The purple clad monk fell to the ground, rubbing his neck where the web had nearly suffocated him. He glanced up at Inuyasha, for a minute he could have sworn he saw Inuyasha telltale red eyes of his full demon form, but it was only the reflection on his eyes from his fire-rat robes. Quickly standing up, he noticed that Inuyasha had begun to run.

When Inuyasha finally stopped, the monk was able to catch his breath and slowed his pace until he stopped; there, he saw where Inuyasha was staring. Up high in the canopy there was one of the spider's cocoons, tightly held in place by the webs. When you squinted your eyes, you could see that the form inside had cyan blue looking veins all around her, disappearing into the cocoon's sides. The figure inside looked dead, her face pale and expressionless.

Sango.

TO BE CONTIUNED


	4. Chapter 4: Illusion

Chapter four: Illusion

Inuyasha jumped high into the canopy, his claws stretched out, and slashed the cocoon. Not much response. Growling, he tried again, several times till a rip stretched near the middle. Grabbing one of the near branches, he pulled the cocoon further open, and he pulled Sango out, ripping from her as he did so the cyan veins. His heart rapidly began to beat, and he checked whether the demon slayer was still alive; she was. Once secured in his arms, he jumped down to the ground, and laid the slayer on the ground.

The monk rushed over, a look of sincere worry plastered on his face, but once he checked for himself that she was still breathing, a relieved sigh escaped his lips. He pulled from her neck some remaining veins, looking at one of them thoughtfully, and noticed that they were clear now, the cyan tint from them gone.

He watched Miroku carefully; he made sure that he didn't do anything that Sango wouldn't have liked, i.e. groping her behind. Once assured that he wasn't going to pull anything, he stepped back and stood, glancing around them, staring at cocoon up top. Frowning slightly, he narrowed his amber eyes, trying to see if he could see something there.

Shippou! He jumped back up the tree, and somewhat half submerged into the webs of the cocoon was the kitsune, with his tail poking out. Inuyasha grabbed hold and pulled him out, dropping down on the ground. The young fox demon awoke at once and began to wail, till Inuyasha gave him a good thump on the head.

"Shaddup! You're alright."

The little demon sniffled, blinking his green eyes at the annoyed hanyou, and then caught sight of Sango. Picking himself up, he ran over to Sango, standing by her head, peering down nervously into her face. He looked up to Miroku, who was still kneeling above her, a worried expression frozen. Shippou asked quietly, "Is she okay?"

"She's alive, but she's not waking up," he said softly, then he shook her shoulders and sharply called out to her, "Sango! Sango, wake up!"

* * *

Sango ran through the forest, her breath coming out in sharp pants, and her Hiraikotsu was strapped to her back. She couldn't stop! She paused to think whether it would be just as well to stop and face the demon head on, but her instinct told her that she couldn't win this one alone. She needed her friends' help, she admitted. However, she hadn't the faintest idea where they had got to. In fact, she didn't remember facing this demon; she only remembered that she had to run to survive. 

A root caught her foot, and she tripped, falling to the floor, the heavily vegetated ground only partially cushioning her fall. Letting out a faint grunt of pain, she looked down at her ankle. She broke it? How could she have broken it? It was only a little fall! Grinding her teeth, she reached up and grasped a lone low hanging branch, and pulled her self to her feet, using her Hiraikotsu as a sort of support.

There was no way she could run now, she knew. She would have to face this demon if there was any chance of survival. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths, till she heard footsteps on the forest floor, and she opened her eyes. A gasp left her lips.

Kohaku!

"Kohaku!" she whispered, and then she spoke louder, "Brother, you have to move! Go! You must leave, you're in danger here!"

"Why, sister?"

"There was a demon pursuing me, and I cannot fight it properly in my condition. Please, Kohaku, you must go!" she pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears.

Her brother almost looked confused, and he blinked, cocking his head slightly to one side, "But sister, there is no demon pursuing you. I thought you had killed them all?"

"What?" Sango sharply responded, her wandering eyes snapping to attention to him.

"You said that you would kill Kagome, Miroku, Shippou, Kirara and Inuyasha. You promised me."

"What? I would never… Kohaku, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, I understand now; you didn't kill them all. You missed Inuyasha. He's coming back for revenge, you see. That's all right- you deserve to die. You betrayed everyone, even me, since you didn't kill them all."

Kohaku seemed to step into the shadows of the forest, his empty looking eyes glazing over her. He stared as Sango stared at him with an open mouth, still not in understanding. Finally, he disappeared, all trace of him gone, all gone except for the words he had uttered.

Crashing through the woods was Inuyasha, his angry golden eyes focused on the demon slayer, the Tetsusaiga hoisted high above him, a growl escaping his throat. He stared at her for a moment, and then he finally spoke through clenched teeth, baring his fangs, "You killed them all… Kagome, Miroku, Shippou and even Kirara. We thought we could trust you, we thought you were our ally, our friends. You're worse then Naraku."

"I d-didn't, Inuyasha, I swear!" Sango pleaded, her eyes wide, "I would never!"

He laughed coldly, "You tell me that, even though I can see the blood on your Hiraikotsu?"

Immediately, she turned to look at her giant boomerang, only to see glistening red blood on the edge, splattered all about the weapon. With a gasp, she dropped it, letting it fall to the ground. No! She would never kill her friends, never! She had no recollection of doing so, and no part of her heart ever wanted to do such a thing, she looked to Inuyasha.

"You see? Deny it now, slayer?" Inuyasha growled, laughing still as he spoke, "Don't bother telling me that you didn't know you were doing it, that you don't remember it. You know why, because I sure remember it!" his voice rose at the end, nearing screaming.

He brought down the Tetsusaiga, cackling as he did so, the bright yellow lines of the Wind Scar coming down upon her. She would die, and as her final thoughts, she knew she deserved to die, after what she had done. She killed all her friends, she betrayed them. Inuyasha had every right to avenge them. She closed her eyes, the strange sensation coming over her body.

She could feel herself shaking, and did not quite grasp why she wasn't dead yet. Daring to open her eyes, she saw Inuyasha's golden eyes staring intensely down at her. Had he changed his mind, and averted the Wind Scar somehow? She hoped not, she deserved this death.

"Sango! Wake up!" another voice called to her, familiar and warm. Miroku?

"I think she's awake!" the childish voice of Shippou ran through her ears. Weren't they dead?

"Come to your senses, Sango! We need to get moving!" Inuyasha growled at her.

"Miroku? Shippou? Y-you aren't dead?" Sango asked softly, not quite believing it yet.

"No, we aren't. That was an illusion you remember, Sango," Miroku said quietly, but seeing that her eyes returned to their usual bright glow, his hand began to wander down to her rear. Hmm, she wouldn't blame him for this time would she? He had been worried…

"Pervert!" she exclaimed, slapping him on the cheek, and scrambling away from him. Her hand left a nice red handprint on his cheek, and Miroku rubbed it. This certain episode had lifted their morale though, and Sango had to smile, even if just for a moment. She turned to Inuyasha, asking, "Where's Kagome?"

"Not found yet," he growled lowly, and he turned to face the sky, the stars of the night peeking in through the dense canopy. Sango's waking took quite a bit of time, "Let's move, we don't have much time left."

The demon slayer stood up, and for a second, her head was dizzy. The blood rushed to her head, from lying down on the ground for some time. Rubbing her temples with her fingers, she watched Inuyasha. Then she remembered Kirara. Where was the fire feline? Her eyes widened, and she turned to them.

"Where's Kirara?"

"I don't know," the hanyou answered simply, as he pretty much till now forgotten the two-tailed demon.

"I don't think she's been cocooned like the rest of us, the spider would have mentioned it. I think its safe to assume she's just trapped in a web somewhere," the monk said soothingly to Sango.

"She's over here!" a somewhat far off voice said.

_Shippou found her?_ Miroku wondered. They ran over to where they heard the fox demon's voice, and, indeed, the fire cat was there with Shippou.

Kirara seemed stuck, her paws sunken into a white sort of gooey mass. She mewed to them, and Sango rushed over, kneeling down to pick up the small cat. The fire feline suddenly started to mew sharply, as if warning them to stay away. Sango plucked her out, and held her in her arms, with Shippou jumping to her shoulder.

"I think the spider's around. We have to be careful," Miroku murmured.

"INUYASHA!" a familiar feminine voice called, and Inuyasha's ears perked. Kagome! He shot off, not looking back at the others, towards the direction of her voice. He had found her!

The others rushed to catch up to him, but then stopped. Sango and Miroku stole glances at each other. Something didn't seem right.

Inuyasha continued to run, till he ran straight into a web, and the threads began to grow around his wrists and ankles, slowly crawling over his body, trying to cocoon the half demon. Damn it! He struggled, trying to free himself, and he could hear the cackle of the spider not too far from where he was. He tried to see through the cocoon's walls, and saw the mass of black.

"Whoo, hoo, hoo! Lookie here! The spider's caught the little doggy!"

TO BE CONTIUNED

--

**Author's Note:**

Hey, guys, thanks for reading, and for the reviews some of you have left behind. You have no idea how happy it makes me; I don't think I've ever had so many reviews in such a short time. :)

shadowx2468: I read over the first chapter, the one you had reviewed to, and could not find spelling mistakes. I found grammer mistakes (I know, I know, I should have caught them the first time) O.o So, er... I'm just confused.

Again, thanks for all the reviews:)


	5. Chapter 5: Dead

Chapter Five: Dead

Miroku cautiously peered through the bushes, and still on his knees, he mentioned with his hand for Sango to come closer as well. They had followed after Inuyasha… discreetly, of course, not just barging in through the forest as the half demon had done.

The demon slayer wasn't happy with the scene that came to her eyes: Inuyasha was completely cocooned, though you could occasionally hear a grunt of protest, trying to free himself. Looking around, she saw no evidence of Kagome. A trap. Quite clever, she pondered, as it had caused Inuyasha to run without thinking, making himself much to easy to entrap.

"I can't use my Wind Tunnel. Inuyasha is much too close; I might suck him up too," Miroku spoke under his breath.

"Then I'll use Hiraikotsu. It'll catch the spider off-guard," she whispered back.

"Uhh, are you sure it doesn't know we're here?" Shippou asked pitifully, jumping off Sango's shoulder to stand by Kirara.

She stood up, and held the Hiraikotsu to her side vertically, as she watched for a moment or two. Maybe the weapon could hit the spider and at the same time, free Inuyasha from the spider's grasp. Pulling it over her head, she twisted it around and threw it with experienced force towards the spider.

Unfortunately, the spider seemed to have noticed their presence at the last moment, and with an angry hiss, pulled out of the way. Ah, but it had moved a little too late, as the Hiraikotsu had caught one of its eight legs, pulling it from the spider. It screeched in pain, its purple fangs drawing open, shrieking, "The slayer tried to kill the spider? Bad, bad choice!"

It shot a string towards Sango, and she jumped out of the way. At this moment, Miroku had abandoned his hiding spot, and he ran in front of the spider, lifting his right arm up to face the large demon. Pulling off the beads quicker then a heart beat, the Wind Tunnel opened and began to pull it in.

Shrieking in protest, its eight eyes began to go wild, unsure of what it could do. It shot another web string to the trees, trying to keep it self stable, but the Tunnel was powerful. Finally, it jumped and grabbed Inuyasha's cocoon, and threw it to Miroku. It would have to suck up Inuyasha too, if he was to pull in the spider.

Of course, Miroku immediately closed his Tunnel, and the cocoon flew towards him, throwing him off his feet. He hit the ground hard, and he groaned, sitting up slightly. Looking around, he noticed that the spider was gone. Sighing in relief, he forced himself on his feet, and made his way to Inuyasha.

Sango rushed over as well -Shippou and Kirara jumped out of hiding too- and they stopped before Inuyasha's cocoon. The demon slayer touched the surface, and she pulled back her hand once she heard hissing, and peered at it; her hand was burnt. Lifting her Hiraikotsu, she dropped it down on the cocoon, breaking it open.

Inuyasha opened his angry amber eyes, and hopped out of the torn cocoon, his eyes flashing. How could he have gotten caught? He glanced up to the sky, and his heart began to beat faster- morning was soon, much too soon. He had to find Kikyo and Kagome _now!_ He turned to face the others, and he snapped at them, "Look, this is taking too long. We're gonna split up, we'll find them faster this way."

Miroku nodded, "I agree. Let's go!" he motioned to Sango and the others.

Kirara grew to her large form, and Sango jumped on, Shippou tightly grasping her shoulders. The slayer looked back at Inuyasha, concern in her eyes. Somehow, she just didn't think they would find them both alive. Morning was just too near for comfort. The cat ran after the monk, and Inuyasha soon disappeared from her view.

Inuyasha pulled out the Tetsusaiga, and he ran forwards, swiftly cutting down trees as he did so. He continued on madly, still blindly cutting down anything that was in his path. He neither would lose Kikyo nor Kagome! He would make sure of it. He stopped eventually, and he dropped down to his knees, panting. He would protect them both. Growling, Tetsusaiga transformed back into its rusty sword form and he sheathed the fang.

Last time that the spider had made its appearance, they had found Sango close by. He must be near then, if the spider had tried to catch him. Sniffing at the air, he tried to see if he could catch a wisp of either of the women, but no such luck was bestowed upon him.

Looking to the sky again, he saw that dawn was to break soon; he could see rays of light already peeking in through the mountains at the east. No!

At this moment, several of Kikyo's soul collectors had floated in through the canopy, their long slithery bodies swiftly moving towards a certain direction. Inuyasha's eyebrows rose in surprise, but then he began to run after them: they would know, after all, where Kikyo was. What about Kagome? He hoped with all his heart that she too would be there.

The forest seemed to get darker as he went on, the echoes of his footsteps resounding off the trees in an eerily sort of manner. Finally, the Collectors seemed to have led him to a sort of clearing… His pace quickened, and he ran past the collectors- he could see two semi-transparent cocoons hanging in the middle.

"KAGOME!" his heart began to pound, and at that moment, the sun rose above the moment, striking the forest with light, "No!"

He jumped into the air, and outstretched his claws, screaming, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" as he attacked both of the cocoons, ripping the women free. Pouncing to collect Kagome in his arms, he turned around to face Kikyo. The half demon rushed over to her side, and he put Kagome down by the older priestess.

The Soul Collectors gathered around Kikyo's form, each lowering down to drop a soul. Soon enough, Kikyo's grey looking face brightened, and she began to stir. Her eyes snapped opened, and she stared at Inuyasha, who was staring at Kagome.

Inuyasha glanced up to Kikyo, and saw her rising, but at looking down on Kagome, she was not stirring. He reached down to collect her in his arms, and he shivered at the touch of her flesh. She was so cold… she wasn't breathing. It couldn't be true, he just wouldn't believe it. He brought her closer to his chest, and he closed his eyes, whispering, "Wake up, Kagome. C'mon, wake up…"

"The girl's dead, Inuyasha," Kikyo said coldly, watching them, "Her body has been sucked dry of her soul. She's no more then fodder for the spider now."

"NO!" the half demon growled, still not dropping his eyes off Kagome, "You woke up, didn't you? Kagome will wake up soon."

The dead priestess laughed callously, at the pitiful sight, "You forget, Inuyasha. More then one soul keeps me alive; my Soul Collectors brought me souls to revive me, but nothing will bring back Kagome's soul."

"No…" he protested weakly, the truth finally drawing out to him. Kagome gone… it just wasn't right. He hugged her tightly, his eyes shut firmly. He had promised to protect her, and she trusted him with her life, and now… she was gone… No. He just wouldn't accept that. Standing up, he held Kagome in his arms, and he stared down hard at Kikyo, "I'll get it back then. I'll kill the damn spider and do whatever it takes to get it back."

Kikyo shook her head, "It won't work, Inuyasha. Just let her be, and let us embrace Hell together."

"No, Kikyo," Inuyasha growled at her, and pushing off with his legs, he soon left the dead priestess alone.

The older woman stared at the rapidly disappearing red back of the hanyou. Her eyes narrowed, and she stood up, her Soul Collectors beginning to wrap themselves around her. She then murmured to herself, "Your time to make a choice will come, Inuyasha. And you _will_ choose me," she vowed darkly.

TO BE CONTIUNED


End file.
